The 28th Monte Carlo Rally Historique concluded with high drama as 244 crews navigated the challenging but legendary alpine routes under a new format featuring closed roads for the first time.

From six starting points across Europe including JohnO’Groats in Scotland, Bad Homburg in Germany, Barcelona, Turin, Reims, and the Principality itself, the historic rally cars converged on Valence before tackling the competitive stages.

Notable competitors included 1988 Monte Caro Rally winner Bruno Saby in a Renault 5 Turbo, former Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato, and defending champions Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo.

Turini decides victory

The rally’s fate was sealed on the Col de Turini as Spanish crew Climent Asensio and Jimenez Valls, sitting fourth overall with just two stages remaining, stormed through the night stage to claim an unlikely victory in their 1981 BMW 323i.

After completing the final mountain stages on 7th February, the crews returned to Monaco for the official finish at 12:25am, with the awards ceremony held later that evening at the Monte-Carlo Sporting.

“We are over the moon,” said Climent Asensio. “This year, second place was not an option.”

The victory marked redemption for the Spanish pair, who finished runners-up in the 2025 driving the same car.

Of the 244 starters, 204 crews were classified at the finish. French crew Ludovic De Luca and Sébastien Chol finished second overall in a Peugeot 104 ZS, with Monaco’s Olivier and Lydia Campana claiming third in their Volkswagen Golf GTI, marking their first podium on the historic event.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

All photos credit: Richard McCreery